Nicole's in South Pasadena has both...

Lucques!!!

It was my pleasure to eat at Bashan last night. The food was extraordinary and the ambience unpretentious and airy. The sweetbreads were crispy bits of goodness offset by a spanish flair of piquillo peppers and capers. The baramundi was crispy and succulent and the accompaniments were perfectly cooked. The cooking has become sharper here in Los Angeles from Claremont to Agoura Hills; it is good to see.

sounds nice...i would have chosen port with the souffle though...apple tarte or foie gras....sauternes..mmm!

the alderwood is nice...but go online and order the Danish Viking Smoked Sea Salt from Salt traders...oh man! It is like a thousand beach bonfires packed into one little bottle...and the intensity of the smokey goodness is off the charts...on tomatoes, steak, a little here and little there...as you can see I love it!

Charlie's Fixtures...near mornadie and western area....plus he is an oddball..

their feed is organic too... I hear that the feed of other organic's are not always what they seem....if you can find the Jidori's I guarantee you will love them. They recommend that they are to be eaten as close to being put down as possible.

mmmm...bacon!

I KNEW it would look great, be great....Awesome!

crabs....

the two reeal true organic chickens in the U.S. are the Jidori and the Rosie. The Rosie are big and fat like turkeys but are dry...the Jidori are smaller, but are juicy and delicious due to their feed. I recommend the Jidori, and for the remark that 2.29 a lb. is a lot, the Jidori from my purveyor costs $1.81 a lb....so no real love their....Go Jidori if you must have your clean version of the dirty bird.

what about Mario's Deli in Glendale? I freaking love that place.

In El Sereno...just below Highland Park and South Pasadena is a market called the El Sereno Meat Market...the best carniceria ever! Beautiful marinated carne y pollo, home made chorizo, lengua whole ready to be cooked...fresh tortillas and chips...meixcan crema fresh!! what more needs to be said...go now go soon just go! google it..it is on Huntington Dr.

it used to be fuddruckers if you ask me....fresh vegetables and cheese sauce....yummy....chewy cookies and wedge fries...man! How did they fail?
Father's Office burger is all about the meat....not the condiments

On Huntington Dr., just south of South Pasadena in the small city of El Sereno is the El Sereno Meat Market....the best marinated carne asada and chicken....always the best for a BBQ.

Awesome! I was told a million times to go and eat here...now with the looks of those delicious slices of pie, I can see that I must go now...right now!

Shaab in Pasadena

A lot of specialty items: TCM, DQ Curing Salts #1 and #2, Dextrose, Bactofern F-RM-52 (freeze dried culture)....basic nitrites; also some other sugars, spices, etc...for the cured meats that need fermentation and hanging time the temperature and the humidity levels are key for the development of flavor and preservation for the first few days..today we hung Soppresata, Spanish Chorizo and Duck Proscuitto....

Just pickled dills; have three radishes pickling-Icicle, French Breakfast and Easter Egg's; pickled blue lake and wax beans; preserved lemons and clementines (citrus stinks now though)

Also we cured Chorizo, Soppresata, Tuscan Salami, Guanciale, Pancetta, Bacon, Wild Boar Pancetta, Merguez and Lardo...all ready when my new restaurant opens.

no way! There pizza is great! Crispy crust with fluffy crumb...lots of ingredients...alwyas has been good.

what's there to get? It was a place for old pasadena to dry big old martini's and watch their horses race at the track. All local steak houses are average at best...this icludes Arroyo Chop House, JJ's and Taylor's...they are geared to a fading clientele...these places need to reinvent themselves...I never claimed the food was stupendous....it was genuine!

Dr. Bob's Ice Cream you can find in Claremont stores

farmers markets will have them all summer; try the whole foods in Glendale or Pasadena...check the Pasadena Market on Saturday, Monrovia on wednesday, or the South Pasadena on Thurs...when you get them find a good tempura batter recipe (flour, eggs and iced sparkling water works great...leave some lumps for crispiness) and go to town with different fillings and sauces...then invite your friends over for the "Squash Blossom Tapas Bonanza"

They roast up fairly quick...you can deepy fry them like tempura filled with imaginative items like risotto, shrimp, spot prawns, lobster...i like the little zukes with big blossoms, they especially look cool on the plate.

NO!!! nothing...even the kabob shops are mediocre...Mario's deli is the only saving grace for that city...i lived there for three years and nothing (cinnabar was okay)

Ask to meet Charlie...he is interesting...best buys in town...on quality equipment

It may be a bit retro, well I guess it never really chaged. I suppose I will miss the red pleather booths and Red Skeleton painitngs. I will miss the aged waitresses who have been working there since short skirts was the uniform of choice. Unfortunatley, the well cooked steaks and fish, simple side dishes, classic steakhouse fare and the rat pack sized bourbons, scothes and martini's have met their maker. It may not be Cut and it may not be Lucques but it was a place where you felt welcomed and comfortable even if it was your first time. Sometimes a good dining experience transcends the trendy. Thank you Monty's. I will see you one last time.

BTW it closes June 23rd.

what is that...whole wheat; pastry flour, high gluten, low gluten, all purpose? that might be a brand name.

Yeah...Charlie's Fixtures. The best...period. Top Chef or not.

Charlie is one of the strangest and funny catsI have ever met. As a chef I have found only him to have the best prices in Los Angeles...guranteed. Beware of Charlie...he is very unique. ; )

I think the closest one is in Vegas...at least it was years ago.